‘Have you forgotten everything?’ Mainz fans fury at Klopp’s Red Bull move

Jürgen Klopp has been criticised by fans of his former club Mainz for his decision to join energy drinks company Red Bull and oversee its network of clubs. Mainz supporters held banners during their team’s Bundesliga game against Leipzig – a Red Bull-backed club – in which they addressed their former hero.

“Have you forgotten everything we gave you?” asked one huge banner behind one of the goals, referring to Klopp’s tearful farewell speech when he left the club after 18 years as a player and coach in 2008.

“Are you crazy?” proclaimed a banner with a pun on Klopp’s name using the German word bekloppt for crazy, while another referred to a quote of his: “I like people until they disappoint me.”

Red Bull announced on 9 October that Klopp will become its head of global soccer from January, overseeing its international network of clubs, including Leipzig, Austrian team Salzburg, New York Red Bulls, Bragantino in Brazil and Omiya Ardija in Japan. Red Bull also has a minority stake in the Championship club Leeds, while it is set to become a minority stakeholder in French second-division club Paris FC.

After leaving Mainz in 2008, Klopp enjoyed successful coaching spells at Borussia Dortmund, then Liverpool, ending the latter’s 30-year wait to be English champions.

Leipzig ran out 2-0 winners in Mainz after first-half goals from Xavi Simons and Willi Orbán, going top of the league, at least until Bayern Munich play in the evening fixture. The defending Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen were 2-1 winners against Eintracht Frankfurt, Robert Andrich and Victor Boniface scoring in a comeback victory after Omar Marmoush had opened the scoring with a penalty.